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Morocco Horse Riding Tour

This five-day horse trek in Morocco crosses day by day argan tree forests, small traditional Berber villages, a dam and its lake, gorges and valleys, small mountains, fields of dunes, wide beaches, and cliffs along the Atlantic coast to offer huge views on the ocean, punctuated of small fishermen villages.

Key information

  • Riders Weight Limit: 85 kilograms / 188 pounds
  • Horse Height Range: 15 hands
  • Horse Breed: Barb-Arabic Stallions (about 1.55m height)
  • Tack type: English saddles

Meet the instructors

Najib
Read more

Highlights

  • 5 horse riding days
  • Ride along the Atlantic coast
  • Approximate daily riding time: 6 - 7 hours
  • Discover the hinterland and small traditional Berber villages
  • Highly diversified landscapes
  • 6 nights accommodation
  • Daily meals
  • Transfers to and from the airport

Skill level

  • Intermediate

Styles


5 days with instruction in English
The organizer also speaks: Arabic, French
Group size: Maximum of 10 participants
Airport transfer included: Agadir–Al Massira Airport
Airport transfer included: Marrakesh Menara Airport
Airport transfer included: Essaouira-Mogador Airport
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Accommodation

During this tour, two nights will be spent in a charming riad in Essaouira on your first night and last night and four nights will be spent in a camp under the Berber tent with access to toilets and a shower with hot water every evening. There will be no electricity at the camp nights in tents at wild spots.

Horse Riding Center in Essaouira

Zouina Cheval welcomes you all year long in its facilities and offers to make you discover horse riding and camel riding with its instructors and guides who know the horses and camels perfectly. For both horse and camel rides, horse riding holidays, quad biking, or hiking, Zouina Cheval will welcome you in a pleasant setting where men, horses, camels, and dogs live in complete harmony. If you do not want to ride and prefer to wait for your family or friends at the stables, you will enjoy the shady patio.

The riding center has a pleasant setting and quality facilities. For horse riding, you will pass through the saddlery upon arrival and Zouina Cheval will provide you with helmets and mini-chaps for your safety and comfort. The center provides helmets of any size (for children and adults). You are recommended to ride with closed shoes like trainers (avoid smooth soles) and trousers (flip flops and shorts should be avoided).

Program

This trail is only open to intermediate and experienced riders, beginners are not allowed. The cavalcade in Morocco starts and ends in Essaouira. Horse treks are usually recommended for intermediate and experienced riders. Beginners are welcome on Zouina Cheval's short treks but the longer riding holidays should be avoided due to the related physical fatigue. If you are a beginner and would like to experience horse trekking, you are recommended to start gently with a two-day and one-night trek. To take full advantage of your trek, you must be reasonably fit and in good health.

To avoid irritations such as chafing, blisters, and bruising, you are recommended to get in the saddle regularly in the weeks leading up to your trek and that you wear good quality riding jodhpurs. Children are welcome but they must be accompanied and supervised at all times by a parent or guardian. They must be over 14 years of age and good riders and also must be capable of spending long hours in the saddle. Zouina Cheval reminds you that helmets are obligatory and are provided on-site. You will like:

  • A highly diversified and quite technical horse trail
  • The tough and gentle Arab-barb horses
  • A discovery of the hinterland and small traditional Berber villages and a ride along the Atlantic coast with cliffs, deep gorges and valleys, dunes, cascades, dams, small fishermen villages, and long beaches
  • Canter on the long deserted beaches

Daily itinerary

Day 1

Arrive at the airport, either in Essaouira (20 minutes), Marrakesh (Marrakech) (three hours), or Agadir (three and a half hours), and you will be transferred to your riad in Essaouira for your overnight stay. Enjoy dinner (not included) with your fellow riders and discuss the trail ahead, afterward, spend the night in the riad.

Day 2

After breakfast, meet at 9:45 a.m. in the riad and transfer to Diabat (15-minute drive). Meet with the staff and have first contact with the horses. After departure, follow a river (Ksob oued) surrounded by abundant vegetation and take the direction of the village named El Ghazoua that you will cross. You will then reach the largest forest of argan trees in the area which extends from Essaouira to Agadir.

Have a picnic at the bank of a river, in the shade of the argan trees, and after some rest, continue to cross the forest and go up and down by small mountains, being careful not to walk on the turtles. Take the direction of Ida Ou Gourd and see some traditional Berber houses and fields. After a gallop on the paths, arrive at the camp (bivouac), which is located close to the ruins of an old sugar factory, made from mud and straw. Have dinner and spend the night in a tent.

Day 3

In the morning, cross a small village and take broad paths bordered by argan trees and fields. According to the season, you will be able to attend the ploughings, still carried out with donkeys and/or cows. Arrive towards a charming valley and take a path to ascend a small mountain. Lunch will be served up the mountain and you will have a beautiful view of the valley. In the afternoon, cross a mountainous area and a splendid plateau with a lot of fields and cultures. Direction Neknafa, ride along Zerrar dam and its lake surrounded with luxurious flora. The final stop will be in Aïntizeril, where the bivouac is located.

Day 4

Wake up early today because this will be the longest day on horseback of the week. In the morning, climb a mountain, passing through a riverbed, and see a marabout, a small Berber village located at the top of a small mountain, which is also famous for its marabouts and traditional healers, then, walk and gallop along the paths bordered by fields.

A short walk will take place to get down the mountain and have a last gallop on a path and arrive in a little village with a source to make the horses drink during lunchtime. In the afternoon, alternate gorges, canyons, and fields in the direction of Argana where your bivouac is. Visit a feminine argan oil cooperative where you will learn how to produce it and discuss it with the women.

Day 5

In the morning, cross a small Berber village and a plateau located between small hills, along the coast. After being gone down in the middle of a small valley, join “the source” where you will have lunch with the team. After lunch, take the direction of the cascades of Sidi Embark; the latter flows into the sea. Go along the superb deserted beaches and the immense dunes of sand, where you appreciate long gallops. Arrive at the camp early in the afternoon, located on one of the beaches of the village of Sidi Kaouki. If the weather is nice, there is a possibility to swim with the horses or alone. Spend the night in a tent.

Day 6

After breakfast in front of the sea, return towards Diabat while going along the beaches. Pass in front of the small lighthouse of the Cap Sim. After having left the beaches, cross the dunes and a forest of eucalyptus and mimosas. Arrive in Diabat in the late afternoon while passing by the ruins of the palace of the Sultan. Transfer to the riad in Essaouira, have dinner (not included), and spend the night in a riad.

Day 7

Meet at the riad and transfer to the airport in Essaouira (20 minutes), Marrakesh or Marrakech (three hours), or Agadir (three and a half hours).

Horses

All of Zouina Cheval's horses are Arab Barbs perfectly adapted for the Moroccan paths. They are surefooted and at ease on both the beaches of the Atlantic coast or the narrow, steep paths of the Atlas. The Arab-Barbs are gentle by nature and wish to be neither beaten nor threatened, they prefer to be ridden with care and respect. The horses are not castrated following the Islamic religion.

The stallions all have their character but are nevertheless gentle and adapt their behavior according to each rider and are very docile with children and beginners; it’s a pleasure to ride them. The stables, located in Diabat, three kilometers from Essaouira, are a pleasant and welcoming environment for your comfort and that of the horses. All the horses are in individual spacious stalls, well-sheltered from the sun and wind, allowing them to relax between two rides.

Instructors

Najib Es-Samlaly

Location

The tour will take place in Morocco. Zouina Cheval's stables are located in Diabat, a small Berber village three kilometers from Essaouira. Before and after the trail, you will sleep in a charming riad located in the old medina of Essaouira. You will have some free time to visit Essaouira, do some shopping, and admire its fortifications. During the trail, you will discover the countryside of Essaouira and the Atlantic coast.

Distances

  • Essaouira-Mogador Airport (ESU) - 20 minutes drive
  • Marrakesh Menara Airport (RAK) - 3 hours drive
  • Agadir–Al Massira Airport (AGA) - 3.5 hours drive

Food

Daily breakfast and all meals during the trail ride are included in the price. Other meals are at your own expense. During the trail, in addition to the three usual meals, you will have a snack after the afternoon ride. The cook will freshly prepare daily traditional Moroccan meals to make you discover the numerous local flavors.

The following meals are included:

  • Breakfast
  • Snacks
  • Drinks

The following drinks are included:

  • Water
  • Coffee
  • Tea

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

  • Vegetarian
  • Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
  • Hallal
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

Things to do (optional)

Horse riding in Essaouira

  • One-hour ride: 20 EUR / 25 EUR at sunset
  • Two-hour ride: 30 EUR / 35 EUR at sunset
  • Three-hour ride: 40 EUR / 45 EUR at sunset

Quad biking tour in Essaouira

Quad biking with departure from Diabat, a small Berber village three kilometers from Essaouira. Notice to the thrill-seekers: Zouina Cheval also offers quad biking tours to discover the surroundings of Essaouira. From the introduction or training essential for beginners to the confirmed practice, there is something for everyone. For this purpose, Zouina Cheval created another company, Quad Attitude, which specializes in quad biking in Essaouira.

You can book directly via Zouina Cheval to avail of this activity. You will be coached by an instructor who will teach you the basics of the quad so you can enjoy your activity. The instructors will adjust to your level and they will accompany you on all your rides. You will drive your quad in the forests, on the beaches, and in the heart of the beautiful dunes along the coast between Essaouira and Sidi Kaouki through Diabat and the Cap Sim.

For the most passionate of you, you can also enjoy treks with nights in a camp that will allow you to discover the charms of the countryside as well as the traditional Berber villages. Zouina Cheval can organize personalized programs on demand. If you fancy a sporting adventure, feel free to book for training, a ride, or a trek on a quad. You have the choice to be one or two persons in the same quad. For one or two persons per quad, here are the rates:

  • One-hour quad biking: one person - 30 EUR, two persons - 50 EUR
  • Two-hour quad biking: one person - 50 EUR, two persons - 70 EUR
  • Three-hour quad biking: one person - 60 EUR, two persons - 85 EUR
  • Four-hour quad biking: one person - 75 EUR, two persons - 100 EUR
  • Day in Sidi Kaouki quad biking and lunch: one person - 105 EUR, two persons - 145 EUR
  • Day in Sidi Kaouki and falls quad biking and lunch: one person - 135 EUR, two persons - 165 EUR

Camel riding in Essaouira

  • One-hour ride: 15 EUR
  • Two-hour ride: 25 EUR
  • Three-hour ride: 35 EUR

What's included

  • 6 days of horse riding
  • 6 nights accommodation
  • Daily breakfast
  • All meals at the camp during the trail
  • Roundtrip airport transfers

What's not included

  • Airfare
  • All meals on the first day
  • Dinner on day 6
  • Lunch on day 7
  • Personal expenses
  • Extra activities

How to get there

Recommended Airports

Arrival by airplane

Please book your flight to arrive at Agadir–Al Massira Airport (AGA), Marrakesh Menara Airport (RAK), or Essaouira-Mogador Airport (ESU). Transfers from and to these airports are included. Zouina Cheval will pick you up from these airports according to your flight schedule. Please provide your flight number and exact arrival and departure time.

Airport: Agadir–Al Massira Airport Airport transfer included: Agadir–Al Massira Airport No additional charges. You can request this in the next step.
Airport: Marrakesh Menara Airport Airport transfer included: Marrakesh Menara Airport No additional charges. You can request this in the next step.
Airport: Essaouira-Mogador Airport Airport transfer included: Essaouira-Mogador Airport No additional charges. You can request this in the next step.

Cancellation Policy

  • A reservation requires a deposit of 100% of the total price.
  • The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.

Value for money
Accommodation & facilities
Food
Location
Quality of activity
7 days / 6 nights
from --

Availability

Arrival: Monday March 17, 2025
Departure: Sunday March 23, 2025

Retreat information

Please confirm booking 16 days before the desired date as Zouina Cheval must apply for camp approval and provide the authorities with the names of all participants the later 15 days before departure.

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